Gingerbread Dutch Baby

I feel like we’re far enough past pumpkin spice season to really cozy into gingerbread time. Beyond cookies and breads, we can get gingerbread flavors with a thin battered, fluffy and puffy Dutch Baby pancake. It’s simple and thank goodness for that.

A Dutch Baby is a perfect weekend activity because with minimal kitchen efforts, you can have a warm, doughnut-like pancake to hustle over to the couch to enjoy like the world is your own.

Here’s how we do:

A Dutch baby, this giant, fluffy, oven pancake is really pretty simple to make. We’ll start by making a very thin pancake batter, pour it into a very hot cast iron skillet, and finish my slicing very large pieces onto our plates and into our hearts.

Here’s the list of needs:

• 3 large eggs – we’ll need them at room temperature so that this batter goes into the oven at room temperature giving if more life / more puff.

Believe it or not (believe it), this batter comes together most easily in a blender. A blender!

If you don’t have a blender, or don’t feel like cleaning a blender, you can also use a bowl and an electric hand beater. You can also get your arm into it and simply use a bowl and a whisk – you’ll really want to power whisk to both break up the egg whites and really aerate the batter to give it that fluff in the oven.

Into the blender with the eggs.

And we’ll add sugar and two tablespoons of melted butter.

Spices for the batter that include all that is right in the world this time of year: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.

Pure vanilla extract and a glug of molasses, too.

Add the whole milk and whip the mixture to combine!

Lastly we’ll pulse in the flour until it’s combined and there are no lumps in the batter. Give it a good whirl in the blender.

The cast iron skillet is heated on the stovetop where the butter is melted for both the batter and the pan.

The key to the fluff of this pancake is to pour the thin batter into a hot buttered pan that immediately goes into a hot oven.

A 10-inch cast iron skillet is key! If the pan is any smaller the batter will be too thick inside the pan and won’t puff generously.

We have lift off!!!

Straight from the oven the Dutch Baby is sprinkled generously with cinnamon and sugar.

Instructions

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon for the topping and set aside. If you’d like to top your Dutch Baby with cranberry sauce, jam, or maple syrup – have that set aside too.

Place a 10-inch cast iron (or oven safe) skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Melt the butter in the skillet. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the butter for the batter and leave the remaining butter to swirl around the hot pan.

Add the eggs to the a blender and top with brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of butter, vanilla, molasses, milk, spices and salt. Place the lid on the blender and blend until smooth and lightly frothy.

Stop the blender and add the flour. Pulse to combine and blend until no lumps remain. The batter will be thin and pourable.

Make sure the cast iron is hot before you add the batter to it. Heat it for just a few moments over medium heat if needed after having melted the butter.

Remove from heat and immediately pour the batter into the pan. Immediately place the pan in the oven and bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden-brown and puffed.

Remove the baked and puffed dutch baby from the oven and immediately sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Add the cranberry sauce or maple syrup. Slice and serve. Dutch babies are best served just after it comes out of the oven.

Nutrition

Reader Interactions

Comments

Just had this as our Christmas breakfast. Delicious! Went with a very light hand on the cinnamon sugar topping. Used Earth Balance/coconut oil together instead of butter, plus mostly almond milk with just a little whole milk. Came out terrific. Delicious and perfect for the holiday!

For anyone who doesn’t have a cast iron pan, I make mine in a glass pie plate that I just let warm up in the oven as it’s preheating. It works well too. :) I cook up apple slices with some syrup and cinnamon and put that on it usually, but I can’t wait to try this gingerbread version!

It is greased first, or we’d be picking pieces of the little dutch baby out with our fingers. Also, my dutch baby recipe specifies using room temp eggs and milk, so it’s not cold. I’m assuming because of this. But thanks for the warning!